From September 22-28, we’re posting mini-interviews with some of our 2021 Pitch Wars mentors. We thought it would be fun to have them answer one question. A question that would give you an idea of their personalities. And possibly spotlight a mentor you may have missed on your exhaustive search through the blog hop for the perfect four mentors to submit to when the Pitch Wars 2021 submission window opens. Don’t know what Pitch Wars is START HERE.
Giveaway!
We’re also giving away 2021 mentors’ and committee members’ books! Go to the bottom of this post for details on how to enter for a chance to win.
Need to connect to the community?
Join the Pitch Wars forum to have discussions with some of our mentors and other writers or get your work critiqued by your peers (and sometimes mentors) or search for critique partners. It’s our gift to you for being so awesome, and we hope you find this space useful. To join the forum go here: http://pitchwars.proboards.com/
Mark your calendars!
Join us for our official #PitchWars #askmentor chats on Twitter and our live mentor video chats happening on Sarah Nicolas’ Youtube channel. Go to this blog post for dates and follow @PitchWars on Twitter for all the details.
This is the question we asked our mentors to answer:
If you could tell your younger self anything about writing or the publishing world you’ve learned or didn’t expect when starting out, what would it be?
And here are their answers …
Falon Ballard
“There is a place in the world for kissing books! Along the way, you’ll meet a lot of people who look down on romance or don’t take the genre seriously, but they are all buttheads. Write those kissing books because they will bring people hope and joy in some of the darkest times!”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Clay Harmon
“So, so many authors don’t get their first manuscript published. This might have been hard to hear given how monumental writing my first manuscript felt, but it also might have been reassuring once the rejections started to mount and I eventually shelved Book 1. Working on a new project while your previous one is out on submission makes rejection a lot easier to cope with.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
*******Available for pre-order******
Amy Lea
“I would tell my younger self who cried (and self soothed over cheetos and Real Housewives) over 50+ rejections on my first book to never give up. You will receive so much rejection and critique over your publishing journey. This industry is so subjective – and all it takes is one “yes” and one reader to connect with your story. There is always someone out there who needs to read your words.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Hudson Lin
“It doesn’t matter if you suck at writing right now. Keep doing it and you’ll get better. Don’t listen to the haters. You deserve to be published. You deserve to have a place in the publishing world. There are jerks everywhere. If they don’t open doors for you, punch out your own doors instead. ”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Mia P. Manansala
“It’s OK that you’re not ready yet–you have so much to learn about yourself and the world before you’ll reach that point. Take the time to find your voice and what it is you’re trying to say. Meanwhile, read widely, read deeply, and never stop envisioning the books you want to see on the shelf.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Enter for a chance to win one of our mentors’ or committee members’ books. We’ll choose ten winners to receive one book each. You ARE NOT limited to the mentors featured in our spotlight posts. You can choose any 2021 mentor or committee member’s book. All you have to do is search our mentors’ and committee members’ books, pick one you’d like to receive should you win, and enter it in the rafflcopter at the bottom of this post. The book must be one from our 2021 mentors or committee members.
You can find our mentor pages here: https://pitchwars.org/mentor-status/active/ And you can find our committee members here: https://pitchwars.org/about/meet-the-pitch-wars-committee/
It’s open internationally, but only for books available on the Book Depository. Make sure to go to their site and verify the book is listed for sale there before choosing your book in the Rafflecopter. Please note: The book you choose might not be immediately available due to supply chain challenges impacting the entire publishing industry.